Funny political news

One of the best things to come from the Trump administration is the endlessly funny political sketches being cranked out by the writing staff at Saturday Night Live. Thanks to the never-ending soap opera going on in Washington, DC there is plenty of real-life material to satirize each week. As each episode takes form during the week of writing and rehearsing, not every breaking news story makes it into the 90-minute show. SNL is first and foremost a comedy show, not the nightly news. Over the years, the popular live comedy show has adopted a format that allows for plenty of satire including an often political cold open sketch and the popular Weekend Update segment. The more famous political cold open characters include Melissa McCarthy as the former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Beck Bennett as Vice President Mike Pence, and of course the hilarious Kate McKinnon as now former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. … [Read more...] about OPINION: ‘Satire’day Night Live: How comedy fits into politics

Here’s some welcome news about The Oath, Ike Barinholtz’s tense and shouty comedy about a family trying to get through Thanksgiving as their not-quite-ours America boils over in rage. While watching the film, I not only laughed a lot and gasped oh, shit! in the right places. I somehow never once found myself tempted to sneak a peek at my phone to check in on developments in our real American hellscape. That’s a triumph.That impulse — to continually stoke our fury with Twitter takes, cable news shouters and breaking news updates — gets lanced throughout The Oath, which writer-director-star Barinholtz has set in a now just as fevered as ours. A megalomaniacal president supported by a fervent right wing has given Americans one year to sign a loyalty pledge, promising that the only punishment for not doing so is the loss of some perks, like a tax credit. That established, Barinholtz cuts to the week before Thanksgiving, just days before the sign-up deadline. … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving-Ruining Comedy The Oath Makes America Funny Again

Ilana Keller Asbury Park Press Published 7:36 AM EDT Oct 9, 2018 A few months ago, comic Kathleen Madigan called her parents and asked what they were doing. "And my mom said, 'We’re driving to the hospital. Your dad thinks he’s having a heart attack.' And I go, 'Let me talk to him.' And she goes, 'No, he’s driving.' More: Wanda Sykes on 'Oh Well' tour, 'Roseanne' and standup surprises "That is like so ridiculous and 10 years ago I would have been alarmed because my dad hadn’t had a heart attack yet. But now it’s like his thing. My mom’s had breast cancer, she’s had lung cancer. So now if they call in with, 'Oh, we have skin cancer.' It’s like 'OK, that’s fine.' Versus it’s not as alarming as the first time." Such are the joys of dealing with aging parents, she says, and it's one of the universal topics she's found in her nearly three decades in comedy that bring people together. … [Read more...] about Kathleen Madigan: Boxed win, Bigfoot and the universally funny

Last Updated Oct 2, 2018 11:49 PM EDT Nobody knew when Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, would turn up in Boston. First, it was 11:30 a.m. at Emerson Colonial Theatre. Then, it was 1 p.m. on an elevated platform neighboring City Hall. And finally, just before 2 p.m., a voice on stage announced "quite possibly the most newsworthy man in the world right now," and Flake sauntered onto the dais.He had committed to speaking at this Forbes "Under 30 Summit" months ago, slotted for a book-promotion event Monday morning that was billed only as "The Future of the Republican Party." That was before the sexual assault allegations surfaced about President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. It was also before the Senate Judiciary Committee called Kavanaugh and the woman who accused him of sexual assault, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, to testify before Congress in an open hearing. And it was before Senator Flake – the "swing vote member" of the committee's GOP … [Read more...] about In New Hampshire, Jeff Flake talks about Kavanaugh, laments “sickness” in political system

POLITICS 09/30/2018 03:39 pm ET The president somehow still managed to praise Kanye West's appearance on the show, and the rapper's MAGA hat. By Doha Madani President Donald Trump had harsh words for “Saturday Night Live” after the show’s season premiere, but still managed to praise musician Kanye West for supporting him during a musical performance. Trump tweeted Sunday that he doesn’t watch the comedy show anymore because it is “no longer funny.” The onetime host has tweeted harshly about “SNL” a few times during his presidency, as the show has featured a number of satirical sketches about him. But the president still managed to praise West for putting on a “Make America Great Again” hat and delivering a pro-Trump speech during his musical guest appearance on the NBC show. “Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) - no longer funny, no talent … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Tweets ‘SNL’ ‘No Longer Funny,’ Even Though He Claims Not To Watch